Chinese state broadcaster makes first changes to European distribution following the award of a French broadcasting licence.
CGTN has launched three HD channels on the Astra 19.2 satellite position, uplinked from France via Globecast. The services are:
- CGTN HD (News)
- CGTN Documentaries HD
- CGTN Français HD
Previously only available in SD at that orbital position, the changes will primarily benefit satellite viewers in Austria, France, Germany and Spain.
It’s the first change to CGTN’s broadcasts since it lost its Ofcom licence in February this year. As a result, some cable operators in Europe temporarily pulled the service. In the spring, CGTN obtained a French broadcasting licence allowing it to commence officially broadcasting across countries signatory to the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (ECTT).
Manual tuning details
CGTN HD channels
- Astra 19.2 E,
- 12.522 GHz, vertical polarisation
- Symbol Rate 22000, FEC 2/3.
Under the terms of its new French licence, CGTN has also been attempting to return to UK airwaves.
So far, it has only been able to gain a slot on streaming service Vision TV, accessed via Freeview channel 264.
The UK has an effectively closed satellite system. It requires channels to secure a slot on an Electronic Programme Guide. This means it is almost impossible for an Ofcom sanctioned channel to easily access viewers via satellite. Most UK satellite receivers hide the option to manually add and access non-EPG channels behind a number of menu screens. These channels cannot then be easily selected by the viewer.